A State of Idiocracy

My son suggested I watch a movie called Idiocracy, because, as he said, I would probably write a blog about it. So, we watched it. Now, I’m writing a blog about it.

It’s an 84-minute comedy from Mike Judge (“Beavis & Butthead,” “King of the Hill”) from 2006, starring Luke Wilsom, Maya Rudolph, and Dax Shephard among others who auditioned and were found to be suitably moronic (or desperate) enough to be part of this movie. It had a limited release in the United States (gee, who would have guessed?) with a premier in Germany and then was essentially released on DVD following that. I note that in France, it was called “Planet Stupid,” and in the Czech Republic, it was called “Absurdistan.”

The summary on IMDB states, “Private Joe Bauers, the definition of ‘average American’, is selected by the Pentagon to be the guinea pig for a top-secret hibernation program. Forgotten, he awakes 500 years in the future. He discovers a society so incredibly dumbed-down that he’s easily the most intelligent person alive.” [1] The overriding and unfortunate problem with this movie is that Mike Judge (who directed as well as wrote) tends to reach for the nearest form of bathroom humor on a continual basis. I suppose one could argue that for a movie like this, that’s only natural. Watching the movie made me think that this was probably an idea that Judge had as a concept for a cartoon (along the lines of Beavis & Butthead) and decided instead to do a live-action movie. Probably should have canned the entire idea, or made it into something worth watching. Instead, he went for the lowest common denominator. There is a point to it, I guess.

Wikipedia states, “The film tells the story of two ordinary people taken into a top-secret military hibernation experiment to awaken in a dystopia wherein advertising, commercialism, and cultural anti-intellectualism run rampant and dysgenic pressure has resulted in a uniformly stupid human society devoid of intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, and coherent notions of justice and human rights.” [2]

The concept itself is actually a good one, because in many ways, I think this is exactly where society is headed. As I said though, because the movie itself seems “dumbed-down,” it is difficult to watch. I would not recommend this movie to anyone who wanted to simply watch a comedy and thought this might be a good one to watch. Frankly, my blood tends to boil when I hear swear words that are used as simply part of every day speech and it really raises my blood pressure when I have to endure hearing the name of my Lord and Savior used in vain. However, the world doesn’t care that this is a form of “hate-speech” toward Christians. While they know they’d better not go after or make fun of Muhammad or Islam, it’s open game on Christians and Christianity because generally speaking, we won’t grab a weapon and attack someone because we might be offended.

Of course, Idiocracy is highly predictable and doesn’t surprise or disappoint there. Bauers arrives 500 or so years into the future to discover that he is a genius compared to the morons that he has to deal with on a daily basis. For some reason, these futuristic braniacs decided long ago to stop watering crops with actual water and chose instead to use a product called “Brawndo,” which has electrolytes (like another famous sports drink). This is the result of capitalism and commercialism gone awry, which is one of the points of the movie. Of course, plants need water and soon enough, crops died and the future became a wasteland of epic proportions with shortages of food, clean water, and common sense. Not sure if these are all connected or not.

People are so stupid in the future that when Bauers went to the hospital, the clerk simply found the right button to push that seemed to be similar to his problem, then a prerecorded voice told him where to go and what would happen next. The clerk’s expression looked pained, as if she was having trouble deciding what was wrong with Bauers since he was obviously using way too many words to express himself.

Costco had become a place where you could buy virtually anything, including a law degree, which incidentally is where Dax Shepard’s character received his. The inside was so big that a over-the-ground rail system was necessary to find your way around the store. While that might seem enviable to some (for those who love Costco), we need to point out that this future appeared to have survived an apocalyptic world war. Trash was everywhere, gaudiness reigned supreme, and in general, life in the future according to this movie, is not good. People are absolute morons. They dress like it, eat like it, look like it, and sound like it. Yuck.

Then again, I look at our current society today and I have to wonder what society will look like in ten years or twenty (if we survive that long). It won’t take 500 years at all. Has society been dumbed down? Absolutely. It’s everywhere.

People today find it generally difficult to think for themselves. More and more, people will go along with the newest fad for fear of being either left out completely or ridiculed. The ability to think critically is now gone with the wind for this current and upcoming generations. Instead, we are far more concerned that young children receive their indoctrination on the latest social experiment, than in ensuring that they grasp how to read, how to perform mathematical calculations, and how to spell. It’s very clear that it is much more important to stimulate a young child’s mind by making sure they are force-fed the gay agenda as well as other structured social engineering issues.

As far as the gay agenda is concerned, if you’re not for the gay lifestyle, you are a “hater” (just like if you disagree with Mr. Obama’s policies, you are a “racist”). No one wants to be called that, so it’s easier to just shut up and get out the way, or go along with the program, just like everyone did in “1984” when the Big Brother government decided what was best for everyone and those who didn’t go along were reprogrammed…or worse.

With respect to gays, either one of the above options will work. They don’t care. They just want to stop people from offering their free speech opinion that homosexuality is not only wrong biblically speaking, but tends to destroy – by redefining “marriage” and “the family.”

Militant gays have come out of the woodwork and closet to castigate, denigrate, and vilify people who stand opposed to homosexuality. No one is allowed to have a dissenting opinion. Talk about hate. Sorry, but what some of these militant gay activists do is born of unbridled hatred and that’s all there is to it. They’re allowed though because they play the victim card.

When gay activists are not at the forefront, their entertainment counterparts and comrades seem to be. In other words, the whole issue is in our face all the time, whether we like it or not. We are being dared to disagree with the homosexual agenda. Go ahead. Just try it! You want headaches? They’ll take all your personal information and post it over the web. They’ll try a new technique known as SWAT-ting. They’ll take you to court and sue you and since at least some of these anarchists are supported by liberals with lots of money, their coffers never run dry. They can play the game for a long time, no worries.

Recently, Carrie Underwood came out in favor of homosexuality. Apparently, she attends a church that is gay-friendly. She says “As a married person myself, I don’t know what it’s like to be told I can’t marry somebody I love, and want to marry. I can’t imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love.” [3]

This is what happens when we start listening to singers and actors who try to define biblical truth. It reminds me of that song with the words, “if lovin’ you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.” You know Carrie, it’s not how you “feel” that defines biblical theology or truth. It’s what the Word says. If you are going to say that you are a Christian, then you should probably at least try reading God’s Word occasionally to find out what HE thinks about things.

People who support gay marriage and the gay lifestyle are quick to point to Jesus, whom they say did not say anything against homosexuality. Really? All He had to do was refer to the “days of Lot” and “Sodom and Gomorrah” and everyone knew what He was saying. They understood that by His referencing those twin cities of the plain, He was agreeing that it was right they were destroyed in judgment. He never said or implied that destroying those two cities was wrong. He also never said or implied that homosexuality is right.

I have read all the excuses so-called gay “theologians” try to bandy about in their futile and puny attempts to prove that the Bible really does not condemn homosexuality. Their reasoning is as fully flawed as is their lifestyle. I also realize that no amount of debating them over the issue will change their minds. If they want to believe what they want to believe, that’s entirely up to them. However, I draw the line when they try to force me to accept their interpretation as an honest appraisal of God’s Word and use it to address what they believe is the “hate” that is welling up in society against them. They twist Scripture like Satan does, but he’s seen for what he is as well. I can almost see a day when society may actually get really sick and tired of gay activists demanding special privileges and turn on them.

Besides the militant gay activists out there doing everything they can to remove freedom of speech, we have politicians who run circles around the U.S. Constitution, doing everything they can to circumvent it. If they could successfully ignore it, they would. Seems to be working for Mr. Obama and so far, Congress has yet to do anything definitive to stop his demagoguery. Maybe it will be finally settled this coming November and maybe that’s what Congress is waiting for as well. Chickens.

Beyond gay activists trying to redefine marriage and family and corrupt politicians doing their level best to take America from a Constitutional Republic to a Socialist nation, we have Islam doing its best to make solid inroads into many countries throughout the world, including America. They are succeeding in greater measure because people are either too dumb or too preoccupied to do anything about it.

Here is a video from YouTube that highlights the type of rhetoric that many Muslims are now beginning to say out loud. This one is very recent from Dearborn, MI. Note that they believe Sharia is coming and they hope to see Christians lose their heads when it does. Nice, isn’t it?

Also note that the Muslim on this video wants Christians to “keep it to themselves.” Yet, it’s clear that Muslims don’t do that. They expect the world to placate them, to allow them to pray five times a day, to change their rules at work and in public to accommodate them. It’s a double standard that seems to go unnoticed.

Please be aware that the some of the language is not appropriate for anyone…unless of course, if you’re already part of Idiocracy.

On top of all the aforementioned things, we have some very high-profile black preachers in America calling for America’s demise. They are – in my opinion – guided by racist rhetoric, the type that guides other racist groups in America. The difference though is that these individuals are black and like the New Black Panthers, can get away with their vitriol and racial hatred because of the color of the skin.

I note how quickly the FBI pounced on one group (mainly made up of whites or light-skinned Hispanics) from Florida that they deemed to be a homegrown network of terrorists. Yet, the New Black Panthers are allowed to block entrances to voting polling places, make all sorts of accusatory and hate-filled speech, yet nothing.

Beyond all of this, we have economic woes that are filtering throughout the world. Greece will probably still topple, in spite of their recent elections. Egypt will likely not be able to fend off a Muslim Brotherhood takeover. Other countries are on the verge of being crippled economically and socially and there seems to be little that anyone can do about anything.

Idiocracy attempts to be a satirical comedy showing what happens when society gets dumber and dumber. It seems like the majority of people today have gotten so used to using “text” speak that whether they are talking or writing, they do so using abbreviated speech. Texting is fine when you’re texting, if I wrote my entire blog that way (or any of my books…book? What’s a book?) people would have a very difficult time reading them.

Occasionally, I’ll get a response to one of my posts written by someone who obviously using texting language as their language of choice. Others will send in a response in all capitals. For many, spelling is atrocious (or maybe they’re simply trying to make up words), their grammar is equally bad, and in general, it is very clear that many do not know how to put two separate thoughts together into a discernible sentence. Of course, everyone makes a spelling or grammar error from time to time. It’s part of being human. However, I’m talking about those people whose errors are simply part of their daily speech.

Think it’s getting better? Guess again. I score standardized tests as part of what I do for a living. Doesn’t seem to matter what grade level I’m scoring. Errors in punctuation, full on spelling errors, creation of words, grammatical problems – it’s all there. It seems to me as though the average student has little to no clue about creating coherent sentences that adequately express how they think and feel. Critical thinking is a lost art. It cannot be taught when the capacity is simply not there.

Prior to scoring tests, I spent over ten years in the public classrooms in California, teaching grades 4 through 6. I finally decided to move to college level for a change of pace and some of what I hoped would be intellectual stimulation. Again I was disappointed. Overall, it’s just not there. In my opinion, society has officially become dumbed-down.

One thing that’s very clear as well is that the dumber people become, the less likely they have the ability to exercise control over their emotions or actions. They just say what they want to say and (BLEEP) you! This becomes standard practice for people who excel in cracking open a beer bottle (normally over someone’s head), and using the F-bomb for every other word.

We recently watched the second Sherlock Holmes movie, starring Robert Downey, Jr. I grew up reading these stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I thought (and still think) they were really very well written.

The interesting thing about the Victorian Age from which the imaginary Sherlock Holmes hails, is that people actually knew how to communicate. The most interesting part is how people would insult one another. It was normally done with words (just as it is today) and a smile, but what was fascinating is how those words were used as tools to inflict emotional pain, while still allowing both parties to maintain social decorum. It’s absolutely fascinating because in order to be able to do that, a major command of the English language must have been held so that the individual could draw deep from the well of meaning. It was like a duel, only played with words, instead of fists. Of course, there was the occasional duel at 20 paces, but those were rare. More often than not, words and phrases settled the argument.

What happens today? Stupidity and ignorance reigns. All some people have to do today is look at another person wrong and they can expect a heated exchange, ending in a bullet or knife to the body. We read about these types of incidences every day and instead of being appalled, we have simply grown accustomed to them.

The movie Idiocracy did not attempt to portray a civilization or society that was devoid of God and the Bible. It simply took a broad brush with an attempted comedic flair and tried to present a “what-if” picture for the future. The result was severely stupid people trying to exist. It was like seeing the before and after effects of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics on an object. People went from fairly smart to the unapproachable stupid.

Standing at this point in time, what does the future look like? Not promising. Not promising at all and I’m talking about the immediate future. Eventually, the future will be absolutely great (once Jesus returns)! But long before we get there, we will go through a period of time in which this earth has never experienced nor will ever experience again.

Paul said, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).

Idiocracy is a movie with a message. People might laugh at it or even be amused by it, but the truth is that history shows us where we have come from and judging by where we are now, it’s not going to be that long before the norm of Idiocracy is the norm for society.

3 Comments

1.Damon Fordham | August 14, 2012 at 12:53 PM

Religion is referenced in “Idiocracy,” but only in passing. The hospital Luke Wilson enters is called “St. God.” Actuallly, in the film’s original script “3001” (available online and far darker and depressing than the final product), there was a scene where Luke Wilson goes to a church and sees a “sermon” reduced to an extreme-wrestling type match between combatants portraying Jesus and the Devil to a cheering congregation. Needless to say, this scene did not make the final film.